The materials physics faculty members in the Department of Physics are engaged in research on a broad range of materials, i.e., electronic materials, biomaterials, nanomaterials, magnetic materials, superhard materials, and rare earths and actinide metals.

The focus of the electronic materials program is in high speed and/or high power electronic applications. In the area of electronic materials, present and ongoing materials of interest are Silicon Carbide and Gallium Nitride. The electronic materials are characterized using a variety of electrical and spectroscopic techniques.

The high pressure materials research program is focused on phase transformations in rare earths and actinide metals and synthesis of superhard materials under high pressures and high temperatures using diamond anvil cells employing designer diamonds. The high pressure research program is carried out at UAB and National Synchrotron facilities in the United States.

The biomaterials and nanomaterials programs are focused on bioceramics and biopolymers as well as composites of ceramics and polymers for applications in biomedical implants and porous materials for tissue regeneration. Recent research has focused on nanostructured diamond coatings and functionally graded metalloceramic materials for articulating joints, hydroxyapatite and other Calcium Phosphate coatings on metals, and porous collagen and hydroxyapatite scaffolds to be used as bone grafts. Another thrust of the nanomaterials program is in metal, ceramic, and semiconductor nanoparticles synthesis and their functionalization for sensing, labeling, and active media applications in biological and optical systems.

The magnetic materials program is focused on the fabrication and characterization of magnetic nanoparticles, nanowires and other nanostructures as well as bulk materials. The magnetic nanostructured materials and techniques are being developed for biomedical applications.

The computational materials research program is focused on the simulation of microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition processes used in the growth of nanostructured materials. Another thrust of the computational research is to calculate the optical defect levels in materials from first principles and help experimentalists in identifying impurities and defect centers in bulk materials and thin films.

The materials physics faculty is also involved in mentoring undergraduates and high school teachers through the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) programs.